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ΑΓΙΑ & ΜΕΓΑΛΗ ΠΑΡΑΣΚΕΥΗ-HOLY & GREAT FRIDAY
Τῇ ἁγίᾳ καὶ μεγάλῃ Παρασκευῇ, τὰ ἅγια καὶ σωτήρια καὶ φρικτὰ Πάθη τοῦΚυρίου καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἸησοῦΧριστοῦ ἐπιτ ελοῦμεν, τοὺς ἐμπτυσμού ς, τὰῥαπίσματα, τὰ κολαφίσματα, τὰς ὕβρεις,τοὺς γέλωτας, τὴν πορφυρᾶν χλαίναν,τὸν κάλαμον, τὸν σπόγγον, τὸ ὄξος, τοὺ ςἥ λους, τὴν λόγχην, καὶ πρὸ πάντων, τὸνσταυρόν, καὶ τὸν θάνατον, ἃ δι' ἡμᾶς ἑκὼν
κατεδέξατο, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ε ὐγνώμονοςΛῃστοῦ, τοῦ συσταυρωθέντος αὐτῷ,σωτήριον ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ ὁμολογίαν
On this day, Holy and Great Friday, wec ele b ra te the awesome, holy, and savingPassion of our Lord and God and Savior JesusChrist: the spitting, the blows, the buffeting,the mockery, the reviling, the purple robe,the reed, the sponge, the vinegar, the nails,
the spear, and abo ve all, the Cross and D ea thwhich He condescended to endure willinglyfor our sakes. Also the saving confession onthe cross of the grateful Robber who wascrucified with Him
κατεδέξατο, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ ε ὐγνώμονοςΛῃστοῦ, τοῦ συσταυρωθέντος αὐτῷ,σωτήριον ἐν τῷ Σταυρῷ ὁμολογίαν
On this day, Holy and Great Friday, wec ele b ra te the awesome, holy, and savingPassion of our Lord and God and Savior JesusChrist: the spitting, the blows, the buffeting,the mockery, the reviling, the purple robe,the reed, the sponge, the vinegar, the nails,
the spear, and abo ve all, the Cross and D ea thwhich He condescended to endure willinglyfor our sakes. Also the saving confession onthe cross of the grateful Robber who wascrucified with Him
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introduction
On Great and Holy Friday the Orthodox Church commemorates the death
of Christ on the Cross. This is the culmination of the observance of His
Passion by which our Lord suffered and died for our sins. This
commemoration begins on Thursday evening with the Matins of Holy Friday
and concludes with a Vespers on Friday afternoon that observes the
unnailing of Christ from the Cross and the placement of His body in the
tomb.
Commemoration of Great and Holy Friday
On this day we commemorate the sufferings of Christ: the mockery, the
crown of thorns, the scourging, the nails, the thirst, the vinegar and
gall, the cry of desolation, and all the Savior endured on the Cross.
The day of Christ's death is the day of sin. The sin which polluted
God's creation from the breaking dawn of time reached its frightful
climax on the hill of Golgotha. There, sin and evil, destruction and
death came into their own. Ungodly men had Him nailed to the Cross, in
order to destroy Him. However, His death condemned irrevocably the
fallen world by revealing its true and abnormal nature.
In Christ, who is the New Adam, there is no sin. And, therefore,
there is no death. He accepted death because He assumed the whole
tragedy of our life. He chose to pour His life into death, in order to
destroy it; and in order to break the hold of evil. His death is the
final and ultimate revelation of His perfect obedience and love. He
suffered for us the excruciating pain of absolute solitude and
alienation - "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken Me!" (Mark 15:34).
Then, He accepted the ultimate horror of death with the agonizing cry,
"It is finished" (John 19:30). His cry was at one and the same time an
indication that He was in control of His death and that His work of
redemption was accomplished, finished, fulfilled. How strange! While our
death is radical unfulfillment, His is total fulfillment.
The day of Christ's death has become our true birthday. "Within the
mystery of Christ dead and resurrected, death acquires positive value.
Even if physical, biological death still appears to reign, it is no
longer the final stage in a long destructive process. It has become the
indispensable doorway, as well as the sure sign of our ultimate Pascha,
our passage from death to life, rather than from life to death.
From
the beginning the Church observed an annual commemoration of the
decisive and crucial three days of sacred history, i.e., Great Friday,
Great Saturday and Pascha. Great Friday and Saturday have been observed
as days of deep sorrow and strict fast from Christian antiquity.
Great Friday and Saturday direct our attention to the trial,
crucifixion, death and burial of Christ. We are placed within the
awesome mystery of the extreme humility of our suffering God. Therefore,
these days are at once days of deep gloom as well as watchful
expectation. The Author of life is at work transforming death into life:
"Come, let us see our Life lying in the tomb, that he may give life to
those that in their tombs lie dead" (Sticheron of Great Saturday
Orthros).
Liturgically, the profound and awesome event of the death and burial
of God in the flesh is marked by a particular kind of silence, i.e. by
the absence of a eucharistic celebration. Great Friday and Great
Saturday are the only two days of the year when no eucharistic assembly
is held. However, before the twelfth century it was the custom to
celebrate the Liturgy of the Pre-Sanctified Gifts on Great Friday.
The divine services of Great Friday with the richness of their ample
Scripture lessons, superb hymnography and vivid liturgical actions bring
the passion of Christ and its cosmic significance into sharp focus. The
hymns of the services on this day help us to see how the Church
understands and celebrates the awesome mystery of Christ's passion and
death.
Icon of the Commemoration of Great and Holy Friday
On
Great and Holy Friday, Orthodox churches display the icon known as the
"Axra Tapeinosis - The Extreme Humility." This icon depicts the
crucified dead body of Christ upright in the Tomb with the Cross in the
background. It combines the two awesome events of Great Friday - the
crucifixion and burial of Christ.
The Church also has an icon of the Crucifixion of Christ. He is shown
nailed to the Cross. His right side is pierced and from the wound flows
blood and water. At the foot of the Cross is a skull. (Golgotha, the
Mount of the Crucifixion, means "the place of the skull.") Tradition
related that the Cross of Christ stood directly over the grave of our
Forefather Adam. On the top bar of the Cross is the inscription
"I.N.B.I.", the initials for the Greek words meaning "Jesus of Nazareth,
King of the Jews." To the left of Christ, the Theotokos and St. Mary
Magdalene are often pictured as well; the youthful St. John the Beloved
Disciple and St. Longinus the Centurion (Mark 15:39) are shown to the
right if they are depicted.
Another icon that depicts the events of Holy Friday is known as the
Epitaphios Thrinos. In this icon, Christ has been taken off of the
Cross, and His body is being prepared for burial. Shown around the body
and mourning His death are His mother, the Theotokos and Virgin Mary,
John the beloved disciple, Joseph of Arimathea, and Mary Magdelene.
In addition to these icons, Orthodox churches process with and
display a large wooden Crucifix with an image of Christ attached. At the
Vespers on Friday, the image of Christ is removed from the Cross and
wrapped in a white cloth. Another icon, one that depicts the body of
Christ removed from the Cross, appears on the Epitaphios that is carried
and placed in the Tomb during this service.
Orthodox Celebration of Great And Holy Friday
The commemorations of Holy Friday begin with the Matins service of
the day which is conducted on Thursday evening. The service is a very
unique Matins service with twelve Gospel readings that begin with
Christ's discourse at the Last Supper and end with the account of His
burial: John 13:31-18:1, John 18:1-29, Matthew 26:57-75, John 18:28 -
19:16, Matthew 27:3-32, Mark 15:16-32, Matthew 27:33-54, Luke 23:32-49,
John 19:38-42, Mark 15:43-47, John 19:38-42, Matthew 27:62-66
These
readings relate the last instructions of Christ to His disciples, the
prophecy of the drama of the Cross, the dramatic prayer of Christ and
His new commandment. After the reading of the fifth Gospel comes the
procession with the Crucifix around the church, while the priest chants
the Fifteenth Antiphon:
"Today is hung upon the Tree, He Who did hang the land in the midst
of the waters. A Crown of thorns crowns Him Who is King of Angels. He is
wrapped about with the purple of mockery Who wrapped the Heavens with
clouds. He received buffetings Who freed Adam in Jordan. He was
transfixed with nails Who is the Bridegroom of the Church. He was
pierced with a spear Who is the Son of the Virgin. We worship Thy
Passion, O Christ. Show also unto us thy glorious Resurrection."
During the Procession, Orthodox Christians kneel and venerate the
Cross and pray for their spiritual well-being, imitating the thief on
the Cross who confessed his faith and devotion to Christ. The faithful
then approach and reverently kiss the Crucifix which has been placed at
the front of the church.
On Friday morning, the services of the Royal Hours are observed.
These services are primarily readings of prayers, hymns, and passages
from the Old Testament, Epistles, and Gospels. The Scripture readings
for these services are: First Hour: Zechariah 11:10-13, Galatians
6:14-18, Matthew 27:1-56; Third Hour: Isaiah 50:4-11, Romans 5:6-10,
Mark 15:6-41; Sixth Hour: Isaiah 52:13-54:1, Hebrews 2:11-18; Luke
23:32-49; Ninth Hour: Jeremiah 11:18-23,12:1-5,9-11,14-15, Hebrews
10:19-31, John 18:28-19:37.
The Vespers of Friday afternoon are a continuation of the Royal
Hours. During this service, the removal of the Body of Christ from the
Cross is commemorated with a sense of mourning. Once more, excerpts from
the Old Testament are read together with hymns, and again the entire
story is related, followed by the removal of Christ from the Cross and
the wrapping of His body with a white sheet as did Joseph of Arimathea.
As
the priest reads the Gospel, "and taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in
a white cloth," he removes the Body of Christ from the Cross, wraps it
in a white cloth and takes it to the altar. The priest then chants a
mourning hymn: "When Joseph of Arimathea took Thee, the life of all,
down from the Tree dead, he buried Thee with myrrh and fine linen . . .
rejoicing. Glory to Thy humiliation, O Master, who clothest Thyself with
light as it were with a garment." The priest then carries the cloth on
which the Body of Christ is painted or embroidered around the church
before placing it inside the Sepulcher, a carved bier which symbolizes
the Tomb of Christ. We are reminded that during Christ's entombment He
descends into Hades to free the dead of the ages before His
Resurrection.
The Scripture readings for the Vespers are: Exodus 33:11-23; Job
42:12-17; Isaiah 52:13-54:1; I Corinthians 1:18-2:2; and from the
Gospels Matthew 27:1-38; Luke 23:39-43; Matthew 27:39-54; John 19:31-37;
and Matthew 27:55-61.
Hymns and Prayers for Great and Holy Friday
Fifteenth Antiphon of the Matins (Plagal of the Second Tone)
Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung upon the Cross.
He who is King of the angels is arrayed in a crown of thorns. He who
wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple of mockery. He who
in Jordan set Adam free receives blows upon His face. The Bridegroom of
the Church is transfixed with nails. The Son of the Virgin is pierced
with a spear. We venerate Thy Passion, O Christ. Show us also Thy
glorious Resurrection.
Exapostelarion
On the same day, O Lord, You granted the Robber Paradise. Now by the wood of the Cross, illumine me and save me.
References
The Lenten Triodion. translated by Mother Mary and
Kallistos Ware (South Canaan, PA: St. Tikhon's Seminary Press, 1994),
pp. 61-62, 565-622.
Calivas, Alkiviadis C. Great Week and Pascha in the Greek Orthodox Church (Brookline: Holy Cross Press, 1992), pp. 63-76.
Farley, Donna. Seasons of Grace: Reflections on the Orthodox Church Year (Ben Lomond, CA: Conciliar Press, 2002), pp. 137-140.
Wybrew, Hugh. Orthodox Lent, Holy Week and Easter:
Liturgical Texts with Commentary (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's
Seminary Press, 1997), pp. 105-108
